The Archetypal Faith of Christ

Abstract

Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theology of Jesus’s “archetypal faith” situates the question of his consciousness in our contemporary context of the life of faith. His position is validated by current biblical scholarship and relies heavily on Karl Rahner’s consciousness-Christology, thus providing an often overlooked an example of fundamental agreement between two authors commonly seen as rivals. The article argues that Jesus’s experience of mystery, far from being obviated by his beatific knowledge, is essential to the Christian experience of faith.